How Much Do KDP Coloring Books Make?
Oct 11, 2026 · Rey Midas · Numbers from KDP’s own help pages
An 8.5 × 11″ coloring book on Amazon KDP earns $3.15 per sale at $9.99, $2.15 at $9.98 and $0.66 at $6.99. That is KDP’s formula, not an estimate: royalty = rate × list price − printing cost. The rate is 60% at $9.99 and up and 50% at $9.98 and below, and a large-trim black-ink book of 24–110 pages costs $2.84 to print.
How much a coloring book makes in a month is that number times your sales, and nobody can promise you the sales. What you control is the price, the page count and the trim size. Those three decide whether each sale pays you sixty cents or six dollars.
Black-ink interior, Amazon.com, rates from KDP help pages read Oct 11, 2026. Need the cover size and spine too? Use the KDP cover calculator.
Royalty per sale at every common price
8.5 × 11″ book, black-ink interior, 24–110 pages ($2.84 printing), sold on Amazon.com:
| List price | Rate | Per Amazon sale | Expanded Distribution | Sales for $100/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $6.99 | 50% | $0.66 | not allowed | 153 |
| $7.99 | 50% | $1.16 | $0.36 | 87 |
| $8.99 | 50% | $1.66 | $0.76 | 61 |
| $9.98 | 50% | $2.15 | $1.15 | 47 |
| $9.99 | 60% | $3.15 | $1.16 | 32 |
| $10.99 | 60% | $3.75 | $1.56 | 27 |
| $12.99 | 60% | $4.95 | $2.36 | 21 |
| $14.99 | 60% | $6.15 | $3.16 | 17 |
The cheapest you can list this book is $5.68 ($2.84 ÷ 50%), which pays you nothing. Expanded Distribution (bookstores, libraries) pays 40% and needs at least $7.10.
The one-cent rule: $9.98 vs $9.99
KDP pays 50% at $9.98 and 60% at $9.99. On a coloring book that one cent is worth $1.00 per sale: $2.15 becomes $3.15. Buyers do not see a difference between $9.98 and $9.99; your royalty goes up 47%.
It is also why cheap coloring books barely pay. To earn $100 a month you need 32 sales at $9.99 or 153 sales at $6.99, almost five times as many. If a niche only sells at $6.99, it has to sell a lot.
Page count: 24 to 110 pages all cost the same
For black ink, KDP charges a flat fee from 24 to 110 pages and a per-page price above that. On a large trim:
- 24–110 pages: $2.84 (so 30 pages and 110 pages cost the same)
- 120 pages: $3.04
- 150 pages: $3.55
- 200 pages: $4.40, which leaves $1.59 a sale at $9.99
Coloring books usually print one design per sheet with a blank back so markers don’t bleed onto the next picture. That makes 50 designs about 100–104 pages, the most you can fit before printing gets more expensive. KDP’s minimum is 24 pages.
Trim size: 8.5 × 11 is a “large” book
KDP counts any book wider than 6.12″ or taller than 9″ as a large trim. The two classic coloring-book sizes, 8.5 × 11″ and 8.5 × 8.5″, are both large and cost $2.84 to print. A 6 × 9″ book costs $2.30 and earns $3.69 at $9.99 and $1.20 at $6.99. That is a better royalty, but most buyers expect a full-size page to color, so most coloring books stay at 8.5 × 11″.
What this means if you are starting
- Price at $9.99 or above. Below it you pay a 50% rate and need several times the sales.
- Stay at 110 pages or fewer. 40–50 designs with blank backs fit.
- Tell KDP about AI art. KDP asks you to disclose AI-generated images when you publish. Doing so is required and is not a penalty.
- Count your costs per book, not per month. If making a book costs you $10, it pays for itself on the fourth sale at $9.99.
The Coloring Book Machine turns a one-line theme into a print-ready 8.5 × 11″ KDP interior PDF: up to 30 line-art pages with blank backs, a cover and a title page. $9.99 per book, no subscription. Draw a free sample page first.
Make my coloring book →Questions
How much does Amazon pay per coloring book sale on KDP?
On Amazon.com, KDP pays 60% of the list price minus the printing cost when you list at $9.99 or more, and 50% minus printing cost at $9.98 or less. An 8.5 × 11" coloring book with 24–110 black-ink pages costs $2.84 to print, so it earns $3.15 per sale at $9.99, $2.15 at $9.98 and $0.66 at $6.99.
What is the best price for a KDP coloring book?
$9.99 or a little more. At $9.99 the royalty rate jumps from 50% to 60%, so one cent of list price adds $1.00 per sale ($2.15 at $9.98, $3.15 at $9.99). Below $9.99 you need almost five times as many sales at $6.99 to earn the same money.
How many pages should a KDP coloring book have?
KDP needs at least 24 pages. For a large-trim black-ink book, every page count from 24 to 110 costs the same $2.84 to print, so 110 pages or fewer keeps your royalty highest. Most coloring books print one design per sheet with a blank back, so 50 designs is about 100–104 pages.
Is 8.5 × 11 a large trim size on KDP?
Yes. KDP counts any trim wider than 6.12" or taller than 9" as large, which includes 8.5 × 11" and 8.5 × 8.5". Large trims cost $2.84 to print for 24–110 black-ink pages; regular trims such as 6 × 9" cost $2.30.
Can a $6.99 coloring book use Expanded Distribution?
No. Expanded Distribution pays 40% of list price minus printing, so the minimum price for an 8.5 × 11" book is $2.84 ÷ 0.40 = $7.10. At $6.99 KDP will not let you turn it on.
How many sales does it take to earn $100 a month?
At $9.99, 32 sales a month (32 × $3.15). At $6.99, 153 sales. The price decision matters more than almost anything else you control.
Can I sell AI-generated coloring books on KDP?
Yes. KDP requires you to tell it about AI-generated images when you publish (and when you republish an edited book). Content you made yourself and only refined with AI tools does not need to be disclosed.